Běihǎi

Beihai was the county seat of Weizhou in eastern Shandong, near the rivers flowing north toward the Bohai Sea. Its name recalled an older commandery that occupied much of the region. In 1368 the Ming absorbed Beihai County into Weizhou; the town later became known as Weixian. Its workshops gained a reputation for embroidery and metalwork during the Ming and Qing, and the county town grew into a notable centre of handicraft production.